Taster's Choice: Lay's barbecue chips smoke competition

Barbecue flavors are front and center during Memorial Day weekend - technically the start of the grilling season.

And while many of us will curb the craving by throwing ribs, chicken or beef mopped with the sweet-smoky sauce on the grill, those without a Weber can resort to popping open a bag of the artificially flavored snack food.

The potato chip market is saturated with hickory-seasoned products, and they come in all shapes, sizes and varieties - kettle cooked, Hawaiian style, ridged, flat, and in the case of two brands, stacked in long, thin tubes.

The results ranged from very favorable (our top choice made it in to the Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for those products receiving a score of 80 or above out of a possible 100) to scraping the bottom of the barrel (did I mention the stacked chips)?

But based on the panel's findings, when it comes to artificially flavored potato chips, the big guns still have an edge.

Case in point: Our winning brand was Lay's ($3.49/11 1/2 ounces at Safeway). Though they've gotten fancy with other Lay's varieties like kettle cooked, wavy and stacked, the original chips came out on top. Tasters called them "crisp," with a "nice spiciness" and a "vinegar finish." Some felt that they looked "homemade." All five tasters would buy these chips.

Missing the Hall of Fame by just one point was second-place Trader Joe's ($1.89/7 ounces) Hawaiian-style hickory chips.

"These have a good balance of flavor," said one taster. Others were drawn to the "blistery appearance" and the "good balance of sweet and spice." All five tasters would buy this brand as well.

In third place was well-known and widely available brand Ruffles ($3.79/11 1/2 ounces), which tasters found to be "highly seasoned" with "a bit of heat." They liked the "good crunch," and the fact that it was a "thicker chip," and "ripply." Three would buy them, one might and one would not.

The fourth-place slot went to Whole Foods 365 Homestyle ($2.99/15 ounces) brand. The panel was divided on these chips, with proponents calling them "crisp" and "smoky-spicy" with a good balance. Others felt they had a "tough texture," and one said that "too many of the chips are burnt tasting." Two would buy these and three would not.

Natural brand Boulder Canyon ($1.99/5 ounces at Whole Foods) came in fifth place. Tasters found them "highly seasoned" with "a bit of heat." While one awarded them a perfect score, citing the "crisp-crunchy" texture, others found them "dry" and "too sweet." Two would buy this brand, one might, and two would not.

Barbecue Potato Chips

Lay's 85

Trader Joe's 79

Hawaiian Style

Ruffles 64

365 Homestyle 57

Boulder Canyon 55

Kettle Backyard 50

Barbeque

Kettle Krinkle Cut 49

Lay's Kettle Cooked 45

Terra 34

Lay's Wavy 33

Hawaiian Kettle Style 26

Luau BBQ

365 Organic 25

Lay's Stax 10

Pringles10

Panelists were Linda Anusasananan, food writer and consultant, San Mateo; John Carroll, cookbook author, San Francisco; Shelley Handler, consultant, San Francisco; Emily Luchetti, pastry chef, Farallon, San Francisco; and Roland Passot, chef-owner, La Folie and five Left Banks. All products are tasted blind; a perfect score would be 100. Prices listed are the lowest found, but products may be available at other stores.